Improved indoor environments with ISO standard

by Sandrine Tranchard on
12 April 2012

A new ISO standard on indoor visual environments will help designers, architects,
builders and regulators
to ensure the state of the art for the health, safety, well being and efficiency of the occupants and
users.

Indoor visual comfort implies more than just providing a comfortable lighting environment for executing a task. A new ISO standard provides a framework for taking into consideration the various parameters that influence the quality of the indoor environment.

ISO
16817:2012, Building environment design – Indoor environment – Design
process for visual environment, will help design team members by giving them a process to
ensure the required visual comfort, physiological effect of light and energy performance and sustainability
of buildings.

The design of an indoor visual environment of the required quality for users must take into account human needs that include elements linked to task performance, visual comfort, health, safety and well-being.

Design teams, including architects and engineers, as well as building clients, contractors, government officials, and academic staff will find in this standard a useful tool for their task of applying an effective design process in the pursuit of an indoor visual environment of the required quality for the users.

The standard is a guideline which invites designers to follow an iterative and progressive approach to making choices and
reaching compromise solutions
according to the goals of the client, and to the constraints and the opportunities linked to the building
site. It will help to achieve the performance level or values to be established by the programme and/or
applicable regulation.

Stephen Turner, Chair of ISO/TC 205, comments: “Application
of the family of indoor environment design standards developed in ISO/TC 205, Building
environment design, help to assure the health, productivity and well-being of building occupants.
ISO 1681 will help building designers in particular to provide the desired quality of indoor environment
and to achieve a high-performance and high-quality visual environment, while managing interactions with
other aspects of project design. “

ISO 16817:2012, provides an integrated design
process for high-quality indoor visual environment including architectural and engineering aspects of
daylighting and artificial lighting for user satisfaction, well-being and productivity as well as the
energy performance and sustainability of buildings.

ISO 16817:2012, Building
environment design – Indoor environment – Design process for visual environment, was developed
by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 205, Building environment design. It is available
from ISO national member institutes (see the complete list with contact details).
It may also be obtained directly from the ISO Central Secretariat, price 108 Swiss francs respectively
through the ISO Store or by contacting the Marketing, Communication & Information
department.